YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program: A Step-By-Step Guide

Hello there. Are you an aspiring content creator on YouTube? Or perhaps you’re a seasoned creator looking for ways to monetize your channel. If so, this is for you. This blog features a comprehensive guide to the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program – a revolutionary initiative that enables you to earn by simply recommending products. The program transforms your content into a seamless shopping experience for your viewers, allowing you to earn commissions when they purchase products you’ve tagged in your videos. Your creator journey starts here.

What is the Youtube Shopping Affiliate Program?

The YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program is a new initiative that allows content creators on YouTube to earn money by recommending products to their viewers. This program aims to transform the content into a seamless shopping experience for viewers, making it easier for them to purchase products that are featured in the videos.

With the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program, creators can tag products in their videos, providing viewers with direct links to purchase those products. When viewers make a purchase through these links, the content creator earns a commission.

This program is beneficial for both aspiring and seasoned content creators on YouTube. Aspiring creators can monetize their channel by promoting products that align with their content and audience. Seasoned creators can further monetize their channel by leveraging their influence and recommending products they genuinely believe in.

The YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program offers a comprehensive guide to help creators get started. It provides information on how to tag products in videos, choose the right products to promote and optimize the shopping experience for viewers. By following this guide, creators can maximize their earning potential and provide a valuable service to their audience.

Overall, the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program is a revolutionary initiative that allows content creators to earn money by recommending products. It transforms the content into a seamless shopping experience for viewers and allows creators to monetize their channels. Whether you’re an aspiring creator or a seasoned one, this program offers a great way to earn income while providing value to your audience.

How the Youtube Shopping Affiliate Program Works

The YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program is a feature that allows creators to earn commissions from the sales of products they recommend and tag in their videos. Here’s a breakdown of how it works:

1. Eligibility: Your channel must meet certain criteria to be eligible for the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program. This usually includes having a specific number of subscribers and being approved for monetization. Certain channels, such as those created for kids or music artists, and channels with Community Guidelines strikes in specific policy areas are not eligible.
2. Tagging Products: Once eligible, you can start tagging products in your videos. When you upload a new video, you can tag products from various brands and retailers. You can tag up to 30 products per video. These tags are essentially links that lead viewers to the merchant’s website, where they can buy the product.
3. Commission: When a viewer clicks on a product tag in your video and makes a purchase on the merchant’s website, you earn a commission. The commission rate will vary depending on the product and merchant but is always a percentage of the total price. The best part is that if a viewer clicks on your product tag and buys other items during the same transaction, you earn commissions on the entire basket of purchased products, not just the tagged item.
4. Payment: The commissions you earn are paid through your linked AdSense account. The payment usually comes 60 to 120 days after the purchase to account for possible returns. If a viewer does return a product they bought, the commission they earned from that sale will be reversed.
5. Tracking Earnings: You can track your earnings from the program in YouTube Studio under the Analytics and then the Revenue section. Here, you’ll find data on estimated revenue, product clicks, number of orders, and total sales. You’ll also see your top-earning products and content.

In essence, the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program allows creators to earn passive income by recommending and tagging products they love, giving viewers a seamless shopping experience directly from the content.

Making Money and Checking Earnings

The earnings from participating brands and retailers are determined by their commission rates and attribution window for each product. The commission percentage for each product offer is displayed, and that is the amount that will be paid. When a viewer clicks on your tagged product and makes a purchase, you will earn commissions. To check your performance, you can go to YouTube Analytics, then Revenue, and choose Affiliate. However, commissions reported in YouTube Analytics may be delayed due to reporting lag time from brands and retailers.

Commissions earned will be paid through AdSense within 60 to 120 days after the purchase to account for customer returns. If a customer returns the product, the commissions will be reversed.

Eligibility Requirements

To promote products from other brands in your content on YouTube, there are certain requirements that your channel must meet:

1. You need to be a part of the YouTube Partner Program.
2. You must be based in South Korea or the United States.
3. Your channel should have more than 20,000 subscribers.
4. Your channel should not be a music channel, an Official Artist Channel, or associated with music partners such as music labels, distributors, publishers, or VEVO.
5. Your channel audience should not be set as “Made for Kids,” and your channel should not have a significant number of videos set as made for kids.

Tagging Products in a Live Stream

Sure! Here is a reworded version of the step-by-step process on how to tag products in a live stream:

1. Access the Live Control Room on the platform.
2. Navigate to the left menu and choose the Stream or Manage option.
3. Under the live stream preview, locate and click on the Shopping tab.
4. Click on the CUSTOMIZE or appropriate button to open the selection tool.
5. Utilize the search function to find any of the available products you want to tag.
6. Arrange and organize the products by dragging, dropping, and ordering them (up to 30 products).
7. If you wish to search for products from specific retailers, click on the Filter option and enter the retailer name.
8. To remove a product, click the Delete button next to the product.
9. Once you have made all the desired changes, click on the Save button.
10. Remember that your changes will also be reflected in the individual video-level settings.

Please note that these instructions may vary slightly depending on your platform or service. It’s always a good idea to refer to the specific guidelines provided by the platform for tagging products during live streams.

Youtube Shopping Affiliate Program Examples

Certainly! Here are several examples of how a creator can make money with the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program:

1. Product Reviews: As a creator, you can create videos to review products related to your niche. You can showcase the features and benefits of the products and provide your honest opinion. By including affiliate links to the products in the video description or tagging them in the video, you can earn a commission when viewers make a purchase through your affiliate links.
2. Hauls and Unboxings: If you create content around fashion, beauty, or technology, you can create haul or unboxing videos to showcase products you’ve purchased or received. By tagging the products in your videos and providing affiliate links, you can earn a commission when viewers click on the links and make a purchase.
3. Gift Guides: During holiday seasons or special occasions, you can create gift guide videos where you recommend products that make great gifts. By tagging the products and including affiliate links, you can earn a commission when viewers buy the recommended products through your links.
4. Tutorials and DIYs: If you create tutorials or DIY (do-it-yourself) videos, you can recommend the tools, equipment, or products needed for the project. By tagging and linking these products, you can earn a commission when viewers purchase them.
5. Fashion Lookbooks: If you are a fashion creator, you can create lookbook videos showcasing different outfits or styles. By tagging the clothing items and accessories used in the video, you can earn a commission when viewers buy those products through your affiliate links.
6. Home Decor and Interior Design: If you create content related to home decor or interior design, you can showcase products such as furniture, home accessories, or decor items. By tagging and linking these products, you can earn a commission when viewers make a purchase.
7. Tech Gadgets and Reviews: If you create content around technology, you can review and showcase different gadgets, electronics, or accessories. By tagging and linking these products, you can earn a commission when viewers buy them through your affiliate links.

Remember to disclose your affiliate partnerships and provide genuine recommendations to maintain trust with your audience. It’s also important to comply with YouTube’s policies and guidelines regarding affiliate marketing.

These are just a few examples, and the possibilities are endless. The key is to create valuable content that resonates with your audience and integrates the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program to enhance their experience and provide them with convenient shopping options.

About Lori Ballen

Lori Ballen is a seasoned content creator with years of experience across various platforms. With her in-depth understanding of SEO and content strategy, she has successfully built a strong online presence. Lori shares her expertise through blogs and tutorials, offering beginner and seasoned creators invaluable resources.

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